Biographical Note

Dr. Adalbert John Volck (1828-1912) was German-born and immigrated to the United States in 1848. He settled permanently in Baltimore in 1851, and worked as a chemistry instructor while studying to be a dentist. He practiced dentistry for many years in Baltimore. During the Civil War, he was sympathetic to the South, as were many other Baltimoreans. In an effort to combat the success of the Northern caricaturist, Thomas Nast (ironically also German-born), Volck issued many caricatures, sketches, and cartoons favorable to the South. The Confederate War Etchings are the most important and best known of these.